Firearms MicroStamping: What Is It? Does It Work? Why Have It?

Firearms MicroStamping: What Is It? Does It Work? Why Have It?The Arbalest Quarrel

New York, N.Y. --(Ammoland.com)- Let’s take a look at two voices on the subject of microstamping as applied to firearms – always keeping in mind the possible impact of this technology on Americans’ Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear arms.

Here’s one from the antigun crowd:

“A technology called ‘microstamping’ has made comprehensive ballistic identification a reality. Microstamping . . . enables police to trace a gun without ever physically recovering it. A traced firearm is a valuable lead in a criminal investigation, because investigators can then connect that weapon to its first purchaser, who may become either a suspect or a source of information helpful to the investigation. Source: http://csgv.org/issues/microstamping/”

And here, in part, is what the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) says about microstamping:

“An independent, peer reviewed, study published in the professional scholarly journal for forensic firearms examiners proved that the concept of microstamping is unreliable and does not function as the patent holder claims. It can be easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools or criminals could simply switch the engraved firing pin to a readily available unmarked spare part, thereby circumventing the process.” Source: http://www.nssf.org/factsheets/microstamping.cfm

We have two conflicting statements concerning microstamping. So, who’s right? Hint: it isn’t the statement from the antigun crowd.

So, how does the antigun crowd get it wrong? To get a handle on this, we’ll take a close look at what legal scholars say. Expert views on matters of law aren’t colored by slogans, by emotional rhetoric or by simplistic, shameful, and ludicrous sound bites – all of which are the mainstays of news commentators and news analysts, politicians and their toadies, of antigun zealots of all stripes, including, inter alia, internationalists and billionaire elites, New World Order cabals bent on dismembering the Second Amendment, and, of course, frightened, ill-informed, “low information” Americans who look to Government for their solace and for their protection and for solutions to all their needs and problems, whether perceived or real.

TO GET A GOOD GRASP OF MICROSTAMPING BEYOND THE HOOPLA WE WILL DEAL WITH THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:

One, the nature of microstamping; Two, whether microstamping is in fact a reliable forensic science tool in firearms identification; and three, how mainstream media extols the virtues of microstamping technology – using propaganda in lieu of sound reasoning – in a naked, shameful bid to sell that technology to the American public.

In dealing with the above issues let’s ignore, for now, the fanfare and hysteria generated over microstamping.

The salient question is: what does the legal community have to say about microstamping? So, let’s look at the academic literature on the subject.

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Arbalest Group created `The Arbalest Quarrel’ website for a special purpose. That purpose is to educate the American public about recent Federal and State firearms control legislation. No other website, to our knowledge, provides as deep an analysis or as thorough an analysis. Arbalest Group offers this information free.

5 thoughts on “Firearms MicroStamping: What Is It? Does It Work? Why Have It?”

What if a anti gun patent troll owns the patent for microstamping and charges $5000 per use (each firearm). No articles that I have seen have addressed the issue. In this day of ligation and patent infringement , this could end affordable firearms as we know.
As far as defeating microstamping several cheap and easy options .
1 A revolver- no shells discharged
2 Brass catcher – catch your brass
3 Use range pickup brass and plant evidence with microstamping
4 muzzleloading firearms – no brass
5 remove microstamping parts
6 use someone elses firearm and return it.

Not advocating a crime just a simple thought to a non-existing issue and the stupidity of anti gun people who just want to make laws instead of enforcing laws that are in affect.